FACT uses four types of configuration files that you must create before you can use the FACT software. These configuration files provide information about the network that you want FACT to analyze. You create these files after you install the FACT RPM (see [[Obtaining and Installing FACT#Installing FACT Software|Installing FACT Software]]) and before you use FACT. After familiarizing yourself with the fact configuration file types in [[About FACT Configuration Files]], proceed to [[Creating FACT Configuration Files]].

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FACT has four types of configuration files:

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'''Note''': FACT can operate with no configuration; however, the application is minimally useful in an unconfigured state.

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*.fact.conf files

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*managed-nodes files

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*credential files

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*guid-names files

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===Configuring .fact.conf Files===

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*[[About FACT Configuration Files]]

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The .fact.conf file is the primary configuration file. It gives the locations of the other files, and it also contains other configuration information.

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*[[Creating FACT Configuration Files]]

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Each line of the .fact.conf file is a parameter that follows the format of ''name:value''. The following parameters are available:

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*repository: ''directory''

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*credential-file: ''file''

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*managed nodes: ''type hostname-list''

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*managed-node-file: ''file''

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*guid-name: ''guid name''

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*guid-names-file: ''file''

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*log-file ''file''

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*subnet-manager: ''hostname''

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===Configuring Managed Nodes Files===

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A managed node is a machine that FACT logs into when it scans the network. Managed nodes have three types: host, SFS OS switch, and OEM switch. An OEM switch is a Cisco SFS 7012 or a Cisco SFS 7024. An SFS OS switch is any other Cisco InfiniBand switch. Managed nodes can be given directly in .fact.conf using the "managed nodes" directive or in a separate file. A separate managed nodes file has a type and a list on each line. The list expands to a set of hostnames, as shown in the following example:

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:SFSOS switch rack[A,C]leaf[1-3]

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:host rack[B,C]compute[01-32]

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This file expands to six switch names, rackAleaf1 through rackAleaf3 and rackCleaf1 through rackCleaf3. It also expands to 64 host names: rackBcompute01 through rackDcompute32. If your managed nodes follow this type of a simple name scheme, you may place them into a .fact.conf file, as shown in the following example with managed-node parameters in .fact.conf:

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:managed-nodes: SFSOS switch rack[A,C]leaf[1-3]

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:managed-nodes: host rack[B,D]compute[01-32]

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===Configuring Credentials===

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FACT must know the username and password to use for each managed node that in logs into. The credentials file provides this information. A credentials file is organized into stanzas. Each stanza starts with a managed node type and a pattern that matches hostnames. The remaining lines are ''name: value'' pairs. The most important names are ''user:'' and ''password''.

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The credentials file contains the following legal parameters:

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*method: (ssh or direct)

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*port: ''TCP-port-number''

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*username: ''username''

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*password: ''password''

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*HSM-command: '''path'''

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*vstat-command: '''path'''

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The ssh method uses secure shell (ssh) to connect to the managed node. The direct method is only used to scan the host upon which FACT is running.

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If your HSM command is not installed at one of the following locations, then place the full path into the HSM-command parameter:

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*/usr/local/topspin/sbin/ib_sm_cli

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*/usr/sbin/ib_sm_cli

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Similarly, use the vstat-command if vstat is not in /usr/local/topspin/bin/vstat.

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Note: vstat is part of the Cisco host driver stack. If you are using OFED host drivers, you can safely ignore vstat.

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The following example shows how to enter a credentials file:

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:host rack '''host'''

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::username: ''username''

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::password: ''password''

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:SFS OS switch rack '''switch'''

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::username: '''super'''

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::password: '''super'''

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===Configuring GUID Names===

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You can assign an arbitrary name to any GUID. FACT uses that name when showing information, so you can use either the assigned name or the actual GUID to refer to the object. Assigned GUID names are most useful for unmanaged switches. Without an assigned GUID name, FACT displays an unmanaged switch by its node GUID.

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If you do not want FACT to log in to each host in your cluster, and if FACT cannot determine the host names from the Subnet Manager, you can use GUID names to help FACT display useful names for your hosts.

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Also, you can attach a name to a system image GUID, a chassis GUID, or a port GUID.

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GUID names are entirely optional. You do not need to use them.

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The GUID name format contains the GUID name on one line, separated by white space, as shown in the following example:

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:00:05:ad:00:00:12:34 myunmanagedA

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:00:05:ad:00:00:56:78 myunmanagedB

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Latest revision as of 19:51, 9 April 2008

FACT uses four types of configuration files that you must create before you can use the FACT software. These configuration files provide information about the network that you want FACT to analyze. You create these files after you install the FACT RPM (see Installing FACT Software) and before you use FACT. After familiarizing yourself with the fact configuration file types in About FACT Configuration Files, proceed to Creating FACT Configuration Files.

Note: FACT can operate with no configuration; however, the application is minimally useful in an unconfigured state.